Green Apples and Mercury
by Olivia U. L
Summary: Natsuki gets a surprise nighttime visit. Oneshot Lime, borderline M.


This oneshot can take place anytime after the end of the main Otome series. It's somewhat sexually explicit but no actual intercourse takes place so I kept it a T. (What is the point of the rating system anyways? None of those thirteen year olds on here seem to pay it any mind. Hell, some of them even _write_ M-rated fics!) For any of you wondering about my Chie/Aoi fic, I'm currently working on chapter three.

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I tossed restlessly in my wide bed in the Gakuenchou's quarters, my long dark hair spread across the pillows. The long room was completely dark at the moment; although I had been watching the shifting clouds pass slowly over the sickle moon that hung in the star-studded night sky.

As if my thoughts had directed their movement, the dark clouds drifted slightly to reveal a thin sliver of the moon. The pale light filtered softly through the tall glass window panes that covered the right wall and sloped up partially into the ceiling, giving me a glimpse of the familiar furnishings that decorated the extravagant chamber. The view only lasted a few minutes however, for darkness soon covered the room again as heavy clouds once more glided over the moon.

The reason for my insomnia was the absence of the gorgeous brunette who usually slept in my bed. Shizuru had been gone on assignment for an entire month – which was about thirty-one days too long for my liking. If I hadn't absolutely needed someone I could trust for the mission, I would have kept her by my side in Garderobe where I could protect her.

I sighed deeply, wishing she were here now so I could hold her in my arms. Hell, if she _were_ here now I wouldn't be wearing these uncomfortable pajamas. My only consolation was that my beloved would finally be returning tomorrow morning. However, the morning was still several excruciating hours away. With an irritated growl, I rolled over again to lie on my back, pushing the covers down to my waist as I did so.

I would have been fine with simple bedding in black or dark blue, but when I'd first moved into the Gakuenchou's official residence, Shizuru insisted on being the one to choose the color and material for my bed. I had protested vehemently at first, but several hours later a very sore Gakuenchou had finally agreed – forcing the words out through breathless panting – to let Shizuru pick "our" bed's design. The result was smooth white silk sheets that glided wonderfully across bare skin and a crimson coverlet suspiciously similar in color to a certain Column's eyes.

A soft noise interrupted my train of thought: the barely audible creak of the large wooden door at the far end of my chambers being opened.

I started up with a jerk of alarm and listened intently to the quiet padding of footsteps across the dark red carpet. The intruder walked across the room towards my bed, past the polished piano and white lounge chairs.

Quickly, I reached out to the small bedside table to pull out the pistol and magazine of rounds I kept stowed in the top drawer. The incident with Nagi and the Schwarz had left me wary of surprises, and with my Otome training and natural reflexes I could load the gun and have it pointed at the other person's head in a matter of heartbeats.

Then a sweet, feminine scent wafted across the short remaining distance between me and the intruder, tickling my nostrils pleasantly and halting my hand before it yanked opened the drawer.

_Shizuru?_ I wondered. The sense of alarm in my gut faded as abruptly as it had struck me, and a fond smile broke across my face in the darkness.

How typical of Shizuru to return from her mission early and sneak into my bedroom, which she slept in anyway, just to surprise me. It was just like her to startle me half to death in the process, too. She was probably going to tease me about that later, once there was enough light for her to see the predictable blush her comments would elicit.

The other woman in the room stood at the foot of our bed and chuckled mischievously. Normally, I would have scolded her for being so foolish – I could have blown her head off before realizing who she was, for Shinso's sake! – but I couldn't seem to conjure up any genuine anger at her tonight. We had been apart for just too long. Secretly, I was pleased at the adorable little display of her spontaneous, romantic side. Besides, I was also quite eager to get my hands on her again after four torturous weeks without her touch.

The mattress creaked slightly as she climbed onto it, and I could feel the weight on the bed shift even though I couldn't see her in the pitch black. Apparently, she was just was eager to reignite our passion as I was, for she wasted no time in tearing the covers away from my body.

She made quick work of my pajamas, hastily pulling off the soft pants and practically ripping the shirt off my chest. Goosebumps broke out across my naked flesh in the cool nighttime air, only to be replaced moments later by tiny droplets of sweat as the other Column pushed me down onto my back and straddled my waist.

I ran my hands up her smooth thighs to grip her hips, but she quickly grabbed my wrists and yanked them off her. She leaned forward slightly to lift my arms above my head and playfully press them against the pillow.

It was more difficult than most people realized to pin someone's arms down, especially if the surface you were trying to keep them on was soft rather than solid. I could have easily twisted my wrists out of her grasp, but I had the feeling she would just teasingly push them back if I did. It seemed she was in the mood to play one of her little games with me.

The other woman batted my hands away a second time when I stubbornly tried to wrap my arms around her again. My mouth formed a pout of annoyance in the darkness. I didn't want this; I wanted to be able to touch her, to feel every inch of her softer-than-velvet skin. I needed to caress my beloved with hands and mouth, relearning all the delicate intricacies of her body and renewing the bond between us. For her to deny me that was the cruelest punishment in the world, or so it seemed to me at the moment.

Not only did I want to touch her, but I also wished I could see her; if she wouldn't let me turn on a lamp then I silently prayed the clouds outside would move again soon and give us some illumination. Shizuru looked absolutely beautiful in moonlight, and my heart ached to look into her deep crimson eyes again.

"Shizu-" I tried to voice my protest, but a slender finger was quickly placed across my lips to silence me. She was insisting on this, though I had no idea why.

Swallowing my frustration, I gave a small nod and pressed a kiss to the fingertip over my lips to signify my acquiescence. I trusted her, and if this was what she really wanted right now, then…

With a rather sulky growl which she probably found very cute, I grabbed hold of the sheets on either side of me, my hands knotting the fabric into tight bundles for me to grip. _You'd better make this worth my while, love_, I warned her in my head.

Satisfied that I would now be keeping my hands to myself, she traced the outline of my mouth with the finger I had just kissed and then lowered back down to my torso.

Sparks seemed to fly from her fingertips and send jolts of pleasure through me as she brushed them across my nipples. It took every ounce of self-control I had to keep myself from returning the gesture. I tossed my head back against the pillow with a groan and clenched my fists around the sheets in agonized want. The silk was pleasantly soft against the tense flesh of my naked back, the night air in the room refreshingly cool on my bare skin.

Her deft hands glided up and down my exposed body to caress the sculpted contours with feverish excitement, and I found myself moaning wantonly as they teasingly trailed down to my groin only to whisk back up to my breasts a moment later. She nipped and kissed hungrily at my pale skin as though she had never tasted me so intimately before.

The absence of light to see by had lent intensity to my other senses. Delicious tingling feelings poured in from every inch of my body to collect in a quivering pool of pleasure at the center of my being. Her cries of delight and the rustle of silk on skin were the only sounds audible in the darkened bedroom. The heady aroma of her desire filled my nose and fogged up my mind. And there was another scent on her, too – the same scent that had first alerted me to her presence. It was unfamiliar but far from unpleasant. Perhaps she was wearing a new perfume…

Something very wet slid slowly up my abdomen, tracing the firm muscles etched on my stomach and interrupting my muddled speculation. Her tongue was deliciously rough, like a cat's. The texture of it on my sweat-moistened skin was driving me wild. It stroked back down my abdomen again, lowering to the dark patch been my legs.

Her head moved lower still, until she hovered mere inches away from her prize.

But then the Column paused for a moment, poised just above the place that was most in want of her attention. Her hesitation confused me; why the sudden uncertainty? Was she unsure of how far to take it? No, that couldn't be it… we had done this countless times before. She must have only been trying to tease me yet again, to make me beg for the fulfillment I knew only she could bring me.

When the other Otome still did not continue, I finally lost all will to hold myself back. I _needed_ her, needed to take her and ravish her. I had to hear Shizuru scream, feel her muscles spasm under my touch, taste her ecstasy, make her mine again after so long apart.

"Damn it, enough of your teasing," I growled huskily, the sound emanating from deep within my throat. I simply couldn't take this anymore. Her little bedroom games could be quite entertaining at times, but I wasn't going to let her take charge tonight.

Sitting up quickly, I wrapped my arms around the lithe body in front of me before the woman had time to protest. I pulled her into my lap forcefully and crushed my lips against hers. After the agony she had put me through, she deserved a little rough play. Besides, I knew she secretly loved it when I took command of her.

That didn't mean she ever made it easy for me, of course. As if to prove just that, her hands found my bare shoulders and gripped the smooth flesh there tightly. The other Otome's fingers dug deeply into me until a set of sharp nails pierced my pale skin. She raked them harshly across my shoulders, making long gouges that wept trickles of blood.

Shocked, I pulled away from our kiss to let out a pained groan.

Shizuru had never cut me like that before. Sure, she would thrash and claw like a wildcat as she writhed helplessly beneath me – and I had given her quite a few "puppy bites", as she called them – but we had never actually hurt each other. _So why start now? And when did her fingernails get so long, anyways?_

Before I could find my voice again, she wrapped her legs around my waist and pressed her hot center against my groin, effectively erasing any doubts from my mind. Even through the cloth of her dress and panties I could feel the raw need I had smelled earlier soaking her thighs.

A moan escaped me and I lowered my mouth to claim her neck. Alternating between sweet kisses and quick nips, I blazed a trail down her delicate skin to her collarbone, enjoying the way her throat vibrated beneath my lips as she echoed my moan.

I slid my hands around her narrow waist to the back of her dress. Even in the darkness it would be easy for me to get her clothes off. All I needed to do was untie the bow at the small of her back and…

_Wait, what?_ I pulled back slightly in confusion. Her uniform was different than I remembered; and I should know since I had undressed her so many times. The body sheathed within that uniform felt different, too, strangely enough. Shorter and more lithe and slender, whereas Shizuru was tall and voluptuous.

An uneasy feeling was starting to worm its way through my lust-fogged mind. I tried to form a coherent thought, but my head still felt as dense and muddled as the thick clouds outside that continued to cover the moon for the time being.

"Shizuru, wha…?" For the second time, she silenced me before I could finish my question. Her mouth burned against mine as she drew my lower lip into her mouth, and once again I was lost in the hypnotic taste and smell of her. Catching my lip between her teeth, she bit down until she pierced the soft flesh.

With another moan, I delved into her hot, wet mouth and stroked my tongue greedily across hers, relishing the tingling flavor of my blood mingled with the other Meister's own distinct taste.

It was a bittersweet taste akin to the first bite into a ripe, juicy green apple. And behind it there was a slight metallic sting, like sucking sharply on a new penny.

I had never tasted anything like this intoxicating combination before…

The girl in my arms was not Shizuru. That realization that had been slowly building in my mind suddenly struck me like one of the high-energy blasts from my own Element. Reflexively, I shoved the other woman away from me with such force that she tumbled off the bed and landed on her back on the dark red carpet.

"What the hell?" I barked out hoarsely, the words having trouble leaving a throat raw with shock. "Who…?"

Just as they had done moments before this intrusion, the clouds outside my quarters shifted to unveil the moon's broad silver sickle. Silvery light once again poured through the tall windows and illuminated the bedroom enough to reveal the Otome lying on her back, propped up on her elbows.

My stomach wound itself into a painful knot as I discovered who had crept into my bed and aroused what had only ever belonged to Shizuru. Even if I hadn't recognized her, the acidic green Meister uniform with a spider emblazoned on the tabard identified her clearly.

A thin coat of sweat glistened in the moonlight and matted a few strands of blood red hair to her face, while the rest of the short tresses curled about her shoulders. The newly-appointed Column's chest heaved with panting breaths and her legs were temptingly spread ever so slightly. Eyes as green as a poisonous viper were fixed on my darkened emerald ones as she stared back at me defiantly.

My prudishness abruptly kicked in as I realized that I was sitting there naked under the scrutiny of someone other than my lover. My cheeks flushed and I clambered off the bed, pulling one of the sweat-damp sheets with me and hurriedly wrapping it around my body like a bath towel. A wicked grin pulled her lips away from her teeth as the younger woman let slip a throaty laugh at my show of modesty. Something low in my body tightened at the sound.

Yet even through my state of arousal I felt unclean, violated. Bile stung my throat and a sick feeling joined the uncomfortable knot in my stomach. Shizuru was the love of my life and I had never before strayed from her – and even though she had a proclivity for teasing our students, I knew she always remained just as loyal to me in her heart.

I gritted my teeth. How dare this girl make me feel such things, forcing me to betray my trusted partner by igniting this fire in me and exposing the lust for her that I had guiltily tried to bury ever since she came to Garderobe. Out of love for Shizuru I had denied our mutual attraction and taken every opportunity to push to redhead away or trade abusive insults and threats.

_This is wrong_, I berated myself._ I shouldn't have let this happen. I should be raging at her now and blaming her, or reaching for my gun._ But instead of doing so I merely stood there and silently burned with desire.

My grip on the sheet tightened viciously until my knuckles were whiter than the silk that shielded me from those piercing eyes that now caressed my body where her hands had been only moments ago. A furious growl rumbled from between my clenched teeth.

"Get out," I commanded, my voice colder and harsher than the ice I was so often likened to.

Unperturbed, the other Otome ignored me and teasingly brought her tongue out to the rim of her soft mouth. With agonizing slowness, she stroked its tip across lips that were stained with my blood and saliva. She savored the taste, eyes hooding with pleasure as she drew her full lower lip into her mouth to suck my juices from it.

_Oh, Shinso-sama. _Even now that I knew who she was, did I still want to take her? The still-throbbing wetness between my legs and the guilt that gripped my heart answered the question for me. I had to strengthen my hold on the sheet yet again to keep myself from lunging at the young redhead – whether to hurt her or do something _else_ to her, I wasn't sure.

"Get out, now!"

She finally roused herself at my enraged roar, languidly getting to her feet as though she had been politely dismissed. After casually straightening her uniform, the other Column strode wordlessly out of my bedroom. She paused at the door to throw a knowing smirk over her shoulder and blow a kiss.

A heartbeat later, she was gone. Nothing remained of her presence except the bleeding cuts on my shoulders and the bittersweet taste in my mouth.

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Author's Notes: Fufu… No Shizzy for Kruger tonight. Special thanks to the song "Poison" by The Rasmus (a cover of the original by Alice Cooper) which got me in the mood for this story and helped me through the writing process. Plus, it's everyone's favorite redheaded temptress's birthday on June 13th so I figured I should finally finish this thing that's been sitting on my computer for months.

Btw, I know that pennies are made of copper and zinc, not mercury, but I think mercury suits the spider's personality more since she's… well… mercurial. :P And hey, I went through the whole fic without saying her name. Short red hair, green eyes, newest Column, wears a green Meister uniform with a spider on the tabard (I played World of Warcraft far too long for me to call that strip of cloth on the front of the Otome uniforms anything else), has long nails and likes to claw people with 'em… If you can't tell which character that is, hang yourself. (I kid ;) )


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